Stay on track

If ever there was a time for two countries to hold their nerves, this is it. India and Pakistan truly are at a crossroads. The moves both have made in the last three months are the best indication in decades that a peaceful solution to the many problems that beset their relations, both should and can be resolved. The attack on the Indian air base at Pathankot is designed to bring the peace process to a shuddering halt — but it must not be allowed to do so. The fate of billions of people for generations to come is in the hands of our respective leaders and their teams, and a relatively small number of violent men and women cannot be permitted to hijack the negotiations. The attack has been claimed by a Kashmir-based coalition of militant groups, the United Jihad Council, and the Indian side is claiming that the attackers have their origins in Multan and that they have intercepted communications during the course of the attack which supports that.



What is reassuring is that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised his Indian counterpart that Pakistan will take “prompt and decisive” action against those who might be linked to the attack. The two National Security Advisers (NSA) have been in touch and Pakistan appears to be working on the leads provided to it — which will be a first in terms of real-time cooperation between the two countries, an encouraging sign in itself. If the attackers are shown to originate in Pakistan and there is an acceptance of that on both sides, then it is for Pakistan to do all in its power to track down and eliminate them if it is truly serious about ensuring the peace process stays afloat. Thus far, both sides have maintained a welcome pragmatic approach, acknowledging that events such as this may be a feature of the landscape as they navigate peace-wards. This is the right way to proceed. This is going to be a test of the mettle of both prime ministers, and if there has to be a delay in foreign secretary-level talks to allow the respective NSAs to do some housekeeping in the wake of the attack, then so be it. Cautious optimism must be parlayed into actions, and in that respect the Pathankot attack is an opportunity as well as a threat.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2016.

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